Ohio State schedules football versus Alabama

College football heavyweights Ohio State and Alabama, who gave the country one of the great games in post-season history the last time they met in the 2014 College Football Playoff semifinals at the Sugar Bowl, have scheduled a home-and-home football series for the first time with games set for the 2027 and 2028 seasons.

The Crimson Tide will play its first game in Ohio Stadium Sept. 18, 2027, while the Buckeyes will return the invitation in 2028 by traveling to Tuscaloosa, Ala., and Bryant-Denny Stadium for a game on Sept. 9 of that year.

Ohio State now has six nationally significant home-and-home series scheduled with Power 5 teams in the next 12 years: versus Oregon, Notre Dame, Washington, Texas, Alabama and Georgia.

Upcoming Power 5 Series

• 2020 – at Oregon
• 2021 – Oregon
• 2022 – Notre Dame
• 2023 – at Notre Dame
• 2024 – at Washington
• 2025 – at Texas
• 2025 – Washington
• 2026 – Texas
• 2027 – Alabama
• 2028 – at Alabama
• 2030 – at Georgia
• 2031 – Georgia

“We’d like to thank University of Alabama Director of Athletics Greg Byrne and Senior Deputy Director of Athletics Finus Gaston, who worked so hard with us to get this series scheduled,” Diana Sabau, Ohio State Deputy Director of Athletics, said. “Building a non-conference schedule with tradition-rich programs is important to the competitive excellence of our program and the department, and it is great for our fans. We are excited for both schools and pleased to be able to share in this announcement today with the University of Alabama.”

The two programs have been at the top historically as well as in the College Football Playoff era, with eight combined CFP playoff appearances, three national championships – Ohio State won the inaugural CFP championship in 2014 while Alabama won in 2015 and 2017 – and the best records over the last 100 games with Ohio State at 91-9 and Alabama tied with Clemson at 90-10.

Ohio State and Alabama have played four times previously – all at neutral sites – with Alabama leading the series, 3-1:

• At the 1978 Sugar Bowl in New Orleans, Bear Bryant’s Crimson Tide defeated the last of Woody Hayes’ 13 Big Ten championship squads, 35-6;
• Alabama defeated Ohio State, 16-10, at the New Jersey Meadowlands in the 1986 Kickoff Classic;
• Alabama won the 1995 Florida Citrus Bowl game in Orlando, 24-17; and
• Ohio State won the aforementioned CFP semifinal game in New Orleans, 42-35, to advance to the CFP title game, a 42-20 victory over Oregon at AT&T Stadium in North Texas.

When Ohio State and Alabama meet in 2027 in Columbus, the game will represent the first Southeastern Conference opponent in the regular season for Ohio State in 39 years, or since LSU and Ohio State played a home-and-home series in 1987 and 1988. The teams played at Ohio Stadium on Sept. 24, 1988, a 36-33 Ohio State victory in the last Ohio Stadium game featuring an SEC school.

Ohio State Schedules

2020 Schedule
Sept. 5 – Bowling Green
Sept. 12 – at Oregon
Sept. 19 – Buffalo
Sept. 26 – Rutgers
Oct. 3 – Off
Oct. 10 – Iowa
Oct. 17 – at Michigan State
Oct. 24 – at Penn State
Oct. 31 – Nebraska
Nov. 7 – Indiana
Nov. 14 – at Maryland
Nov. 21 – at Illinois
Nov. 28 – Michigan
Dec. 5 – Big Ten Championship Game

2021 Schedule
Sept. 2 – at Minnesota
Sept. 11 – Oregon
Sept. 18 – Tulsa
Sept. 25 – Akron
Oct. 2 – at Nebraska
Oct. 9 – Purdue
Oct. 16 – Off
Oct. 23 – at Rutgers
Oct. 30 – Michigan State
Nov. 6 – at Indiana
Nov. 13 – Maryland
Nov. 20 – Penn State
Nov. 27 – at Michigan
Dec. 4 – Big Ten Championship Game

2022 Schedule
Sept. 3 – Notre Dame
Sept. 10 – Arkansas State
Sept. 17 – Toledo
Sept. 24 – at Michigan State
Oct. 1 – at Penn State
Oct. 8 – Rutgers
Oct. 15 – Iowa
Oct. 22 – Off
Oct. 29 – Indiana
Nov. 5 – at Northwestern
Nov. 12 – Wisconsin
Nov. 19 – at Maryland
Nov. 26 – Michigan
Dec. 3 – Big Ten Championship Game

2023 Schedule
Sept. 2 – at Indiana
Sept. 9 – San Jose State
Sept. 16 – Western Kentucky
Sept. 23 – at Notre Dame
Sept. 30 – Off
Oct. 7 – Maryland
Oct. 14 – at Purdue
Oct. 21 – Penn State
Oct. 28 – at Wisconsin
Nov. 4 – at Rutgers
Nov. 11 – Michigan State
Nov. 18 – Minnesota
Nov. 25 – at Michigan
Dec. 2 – Big Ten Championship Game

2024 Schedule
(Two non-conference games/dates TBD)
Sept. 14 – at Washington
Sept. 28 – Illinois
Oct. 5 – Rutgers
Oct. 12 – at Nebraska
Oct. 26 – Wisconsin
Nov. 2 – at Maryland
Nov. 9 – at Penn State
Nov. 16 – Indiana
Nov. 23 – at Michigan State
Nov. 30 – Michigan
Dec. 7 – Big Ten Championship Game

2025 Schedule
(One non-conference game/date TBD)
Aug. 30 – Texas
Sept. 13 – Washington
Sept. 20 – at Indiana
Sept. 27 – at Iowa
Oct. 4 – Maryland
Oct. 11 – at Wisconsin
Oct. 25 – at Rutgers
Nov. 1 – Northwestern
Nov. 15 – Penn State
Nov. 22 – Michigan State
Nov. 29 – at Michigan
Dec. 6 – Big Ten Championship Game

2026 Schedule
Sept. 5 – Ball State
Sept. 12 – at Texas

2027 Schedule
Sept. 18 – Alabama

2028 Schedule
Sept. 9 – at Alabama

2030 Schedule
Sept. 14 – at Georgia

2031 Schedule
Aug. 30 – Georgia